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Scott County’s first historian: Jehu Phillips
Before H. Clay Smith wrote Dusty Bits of the Forgotten Past, and before Esther Sharp Sanderson wrote County Scott and Its Mountain Folk, Jehu Phillips gave an early account of Scott County in the Cumberland Chronicle newspaper. Republished many years later by the FNB Chronicle, these remembrances — which were told by Phillips near the end of his life — provide an invaluable glimpse at the early community structure and lifestyles of Scott County during its pioneer era.
The Cumberland Chronicle was published in Huntsville from 1889 to 1917, and was one of Scott County’s earliest newspapers. It was in 1904 that Phillips — then an 84-year-old man — provided a series of reminisces. These writings were later compiled into a two-part series by the FNB Chronicle in the 1990s.
Phillips was the son of one of Scott County’s earliest families, an early elected official of Scott County, and a Civil War veteran.
Born Sept. 14, 1821, he was the son of Joseph Phillips (1787-1881) and Elizabeth “Millie” Lawson (1786-1838), and grew up in the Bull Creek area south of Huntsville.
Both of Jehu’s grandfathers were Revolutionary War veterans. His paternal grandfather, Tobias Phillips Sr., was a plantation owner in Virginia. His maternal grandfather, Randolph Lawson, was one of four Lawson brothers who served in the war and later moved to what is now Scott County. Randolph Lawson settled near the mouth of Paint Rock Creek. Randolph and his wife, Susannah Cross, had eight children. However, they left Tennessee after a short time, and most of their children did, as well. The only two who spent their entire lives here were Millie and her sister, Catherine Lakey Chambers, who married Thomas Chambers, son of Revolutionary War veteran William Chambers of Buffalo.
Jehu’s father, Joseph Phillips, was just 15 years old when he moved to Tennessee in the early 1800s. He came with his brother, Thomas Phillips, who was married to Abraham Goad’s daughter, Mary Goad. Abraham was a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia who led a caravan to present-day Scott County sometime between 1803 and 1807, settling on New River at what is now known as the Vanderpool Place south of Huntsville.
Shortly thereafter, Joseph married Millie Lawson. The Lawson family was Abraham Goad’s “next-door” neighbors on the river. Joseph and Millie moved up the river to Bull Creek, which is where they established their family. Jehu was their third-born child.
Jehu grew up to marry Rebecca Sexton (1823-1905), the daughter of Moses Sexton and Leander “Laura” Hatfield, in 1841. Rebecca was also descended from Revolutionary War veterans. Her grandfathers were Timothy Sexton and Joseph Hatfield, both of whom moved to present-day Scott County after the war.
Jehu and Rebecca had 11 children. Among them: Fountain (1842-1911), Riley (1843-1910), Almira, Melvina, Jane Thomas (1853-1926), Martha Hughett (1868-1955), James, Harvy, Olive, Mildred (1865-1937), and Caldonia.
Given his family’s strong Revolutionary War heritage, it isn’t surprising that Jehu Phillips enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War. At that time, Scott County’s population was mostly descended from about 16 Revolutionary War veterans, and was strongly pro-Union. Hundreds of Scott County men signed up to fight with the federal army. Jehu was 40 years old when the war began, and did not initially join the fight. However, when Gen. Ambrose Burnside marched his Army of the Ohio through Scott County in 1863, Phillips was one of many Scott Countians who joined the march. He was assigned to Co. C of the 1st East Tennessee National Guard, and quickly promoted to sergeant. He and his unit traveled in advance of the main army, clearing roads for the 12,000 men and their cannons and supply wagons.
Two of Phillips’ sons also served in the Union army. Fountain Phillips was 18 when he enlisted on Oct. 26, 1861. He was among the Union soldiers captured at the Battle of Rogersville, Tenn., in November 1863. Unlike many of his comrades, he survived the Confederate prison at Belle Isle in Richmond, Va.
Riley Phillips was also 18 when he enlisted on June 1, 1862. He developed a lung disease while training at Camp Dick Robinson in Kentucky.
Jehu was a well-known Scott Countian by the time of the Civil War. He was a Baptist preacher, a chain carrier, and he had served on the survey team that helped mark Scott County’s original boundary lines in 1849. The survey team walked the mountaintops, establishing the line that separated Scott County from Campbell and Anderson counties.
Phillips was the first Scott County Trustee elected after the Civil War ended and life began to return to normal. He served in that capacity for six years.
By far, Phillips’ most lasting contribution to Scott County’s past was his remembrances in the Cumberland Chronicle in 1904. This series provides invaluable insight into what Scott County was like prior to the Civil War.
On Indians: “I can remember seeing Indians in this country. There were two families living up New River near the mouth of Bull Creek and one family lived near where the town of New River now stands. There was an old Indian trail leading by where the town of New River now stands and on up the river. The Indians wore, both summer and winter, caps made of fox skins, with tails hanging down behind and they also wore moccasins. I have talked with Indians in this county who said that they had never eaten bread made from corn ground on a water mill. The Indians had what was called a sweep cole with which to beat the corn. They also had sifters made out of a hide and would split the crushed corn through these and then crush again.”
On early education: “I suppose the first school house in what is now Scott County, was built about the year 1826 at the mouth of Buffalo Creek. It was a one room log house. The first teacher was a man named Brawhill who came here from Virginia. I never went to school a day in my life and yet was elected the first Trustee of Scott County after the Civil War of 1861-65. I held this office for six years.”
On early religion and health care: “When I was a boy there were no doctors in this country, and I never saw a doctor until I was grown. There were no preachers living here then. Occasionally a few preachers would come from Powell’s Valley and stay three or four days. I remember going to meeting in a log house which did not have the cracks stopped and which had no floor or door. I have been to many a meeting where the seats were just split logs which did not even have legs in them. In those days the preachers were all Baptist. I suppose the first preacher raised in this county was a man named Cutbearth (Cuthbert) Webb who lived on Brimstone Creek.”
On early commerce: “Perhaps the first store in the county was put up by a man named Jim Williams. When I was a boy he had a store on Buffalo Creek near where Alec Chambers now lives. When I was about 10 years old I went with father to this store and Williams had a few men’s shoes (but no boy’s shoes), some calico and a few other dried goods. I believe John L. Smith was the first merchant in Huntsville. About the year 1852 or 1853 he put up a store where Dan Chambers now lives. He only had a few dry goods and shoes and bought them from a retail merchant at Jacksboro. He bought and sold home made jeans and linsey … I remember that when the Civil War broke out there were three stores in Huntsville and they were owned by Carland, Cain, and John L. Smith. There were also three saloons here and they were run by Abe Hatfield, Jim McDonald, and Looper.”
On early entertainment: “Before the Civil War the people in this county had many interesting and exciting horse races. There used to be a race track where Allen McDonald now lives about two miles south of Huntsville and another track where Rob Sexton now lives near Brimstone. The tracks were straight and about one-fourth of a mile long. Only two horses could run at the same time. The horses used in the races were a breed of small horses called Brenens. You never see that kind of horse here now. The women attended the races as well as the men. The men could often bed saddles, bridles, hats and clothing as well as money on their favorite horse and often the races were very exciting … When I was a young man, it was the custom to have log rollings, house railings and corn shuckings. These would always be followed at night by a frolic and I tell you the people used to have some good old times in those days. At the frolics there was always one or more fiddles. The fiddles were home made but I tell you they were good ones … Let a fiddle start and I tell you somebody was out dancing. I never saw a banjo until I was grown. I never saw a drunk rowdy man at a frolic or log rolling. People always had peach brandy which was home made and it was fine.”
Jehu Phillips died on June 2, 1910, at age 88. He was buried at Huntsville Cemetery. His wife, Rebecca, died in 1905 and was also buried at the cemetery.
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
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